Toll-road agency to eliminate cash-paying system

A customer hands Joe Morreale a ten dollar bill for the $2.50 toll at his toll booth at the Tomato Springs toll plaza one morning. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Orange County's toll-road operators are expecting to eliminate cash payments by next fall, requiring motorists who do not have FasTrak transponders to register for payment accounts.

The move toward electronic tolling, which officials said lowers operating costs by $3.2 million, was approved by the Transportation Corridor Agencies board as transactions on the 73, 261, 241 and 133 toll roads have declined. It will cost the agency about $9.4 million to fund the transition to electronic tolling.

While the new tolling system will save the agency money, the customer benefits are more important, said Lori Olin, a TCA spokeswoman.

"We've spent the last couple of years listening to our customers and drivers in general, asking for their feedback, and we believe the new options we're offering reflect their choices," Olin said.

TCA officials said this shift will benefit drivers by not having to stop to pay with cash.

In addition, a 25-cent cash toll increase on most locations of the 133, 241, and 261 took effect Sunday. For FasTrak customers, tolls increased by 5 percent. A 50-cent cash toll increase and a 10 percent FasTrak toll increase also took effect along the 73.

As of now, Olin said toll-road drivers won't see any changes in the way they pay their tolls for nearly a year. Motorists will be able to sign up for an account beginning May 2013, and the cash toll-collection system is scheduled for removal about three months later.

Casual toll-road users who do not have an account will have to register for a FasTrak transponder or open a license plate tolling account, Olin said.

For visitors or infrequent drivers, the agency's "Missed-a-toll" function will morph into a "Pay-as-you-go" function, which Olin said would allow motorists to "drive the roads without a pre-established account so long as they go online and pay the toll within a predetermined timeframe."

Drivers who use the toll roads without registering for a payment account will have to pay a penalty of $57.50 plus the toll.

For Mission Viejo resident Al Laddin, a project manager for a construction firm, the shift is unfair and inconvenient.

"If I want to pay cash, I should be able to pay cash," said Laddin, who uses the toll roads daily to get work sites in Corona or Moreno Valley. "I have to have an account in order to use the toll road. I don't think that's fair.

"They're saving all this money, the tolls go up, and now I'm going to be forced to pay them up front my money," Laddin added.

Laddin also said that it's unreasonable that toll booth operators will be losing their jobs, while the agency saves money.

Olin said plans for transitioning 81 workers, who are employed by a contractor, will be negotiated. In addition, 12 TCA employees will lose their jobs.

"A severance will also be awarded to these employees," Olin added.

Through an outreach campaign between February and August 2013, TCA officials will work on educating cash customers on how to sign up for FasTrak and license plate tolling accounts.

"Toll agencies across the country have converted or are in the process of converting ... and doing away with cash – for cost savings and customer convenience," Olin said.

A customer hands Joe Morreale a ten dollar bill for the $2.50 toll at his toll booth at the Tomato Springs toll plaza one morning. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A view looking south along the 241 just south of the 91 freeway Thursday toward the Windy Ridge toll booth plaza at the top of the hill. Additional FasTrak lanes are being added in each direction this weekend. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Northbound morning traffic approaches the Windy Ridge toll booth plaza along the 241 just south of the 91 freeway Thursday. Additional FasTrak lanes are being added in each direction this weekend. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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